The invention is in the general field of educational devices (more specifically surface or article demonstration devices concerned with toiletries) and is particularly directed to a cosmetic apparatus for aiding in the selection of a make-up pattern appropriate to a customer's face. The invention is also concerned with methods of using such devices.
A number of prior art patents refer to producing a composite image of a customer's face and of a make-up scheme or of a hair-do or of an article such as eye-glasses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,293,271 refers to an electro-optical system for projecting, on the same screen, an image of a customer's face and slide images showing various make-up colors. Other examples are referred to in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,339,453; 3,120,066 and 3,659,928. It is believed that the techniques referred to in such prior art rely on subjective standards operable at the time the composite image is displayed rather than an objective selection determined by previously established standards.
In contrast, the invention here is directed to a particular type of apparatus and a particular type of technique which rely on previously established standards to select a make-up pattern which best matches a customer's face and to display a mutually scaled and registered overlay of the so-selected make-up pattern and at least an outline of the customer's face.
In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention a first step is to provide an outline of the customer's face defined by a selected number of significant facial points which are at predetermined locations on the customer's face. In one embodiment of the invention this step involves the use of a graticule through which a beauty adviser views the customer's face. The graticule has a chin bar and two side bars marked on it, and may have other markings. The beauty advisor moves the graticule relative to the customer's face so that, as viewed by the beauty adviser, the customer's chin is on the chin bar and the customer's face is just within the side bars. The beauty adviser then marks on the graticule, as by the use of adhesive-backed (or vacuum-cup) stick-on pins, a selected number of significant facial points having predetermined locations on the customer's face as viewed through the graticule, to thereby provide an outline of the customer's face.
In another embodiment of the invention this step involves the use of a video camera unit which images the customer's face on a screen at a beauty adviser's console, and the use by the beauty adviser of a light pen, which is a part of the console, to similarly mark a selected number of significant facial points having similar predetermined locations relative to the displayed image of the customer's face.
In accordance with the invention a number of different reference face patterns are stored in suitable forms. For example there may be eight such face patterns, one for a heart-shaped face, one for a diamond-shaped face, etc. Each of the reference face patterns is similarly defined by or based on a selected number of significant facial points having similar predetermined locations relative to the reference patterns. In addition, there is a respective suitably scaled make-up pattern corresponding to each of the stored face patterns. In one embodiment of the invention each reference face pattern may be a transparency with an outline of a face scaled to just fit within the chin bar and side bars on the graticule. In another embodiment the reference face patterns may be defined by sets of reference electronic signals stored in suitable electronic circuits associated with the beauty adviser's console.
As used in accordance with the invention, the so-provided outline of the customer's face and the reference face patterns are scaled with respect to each other. This facilitates proper matching of the so-provided outline of the customer's face and the reference face patterns so as to select the stored pattern which most closely corresponds to the customer's face. In one embodiment of the invention this matching is carried out by overlaying one or more of the transparencies referred to above on the graticule, in proper registration with the chin bar and side bars, to see which transparency best fits the marked points on the graticule. In another embodiment the matching is carried out by electronic circuitry which electronically matches the outline signals generated with the help of the light pen with sets of reference signals, and automatically finds the best fit.
Once the best match is found between the so-provided outline of the customer's face and a particular one of the stored face patterns, a mutually scaled and registered overlay is displayed of the outline of the customer's face and the so-selected matching make-up pattern. In one embodiment of the invention this display comprises the graticule with the marked significant points and a transparency of the selected make-up pattern. In another embodiment of the invention the overlay comprises a T.V. image of the customer's face and an overlaid T.V. image of the selected make-up pattern. In each case the customer may view this overlay as an aid to selecting and applying make-up, and as an aid to discussing appropriate make-up advice with the beauty adviser.